DEC must prevent Bakken crude heating

Bakken crude oil is highly flammable and explosive. The national rail system is antiquated and prone to derailments. The DOT-111 transport cars are not designed for crude and leak when derailed. Once spilled into a waterway (like the Hudson River), Bakken crude is an ecological nightmare that cannot be re-gathered or remediated.Despite these hazards to city residents, it is the proposed heating and degasification of Bakken crude at the Port of Albany that will be the worst aspect of the proposed expansion.Derailment and explosion are a possibility; but unbreathable air could be a daily reality.In fact, a full environmental impact study will show that degasification of Bakken oil by heating at the Port of Albany will generate unbreathable air by releasing crude-based smoke, objectionable odors and elevated levels of deadly airborne carcinogenic contaminants.The expansion will destroy air quality and, in turn, destroy quality of life in downtown Albany.The state Department of Environmental Conservation must prohibit heating of Bakken crude in Albany. The DEC and federal officials must work diligently to require and ensure the Bakken crude oil is heated and degasified at a central degasification station in North Dakota before cross-country transport.Issuance of the requested Title V Air Permit is worse than a hush-hush Machiavellian money-grubbing scheme subsidized by the destruction of public health; the proposed expansion is socially and environmentally criminal.The DEC must prevent any expansion that threatens health or quality of life. It’s the only sane thing to do.David J. SchachneAlbany

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PAUSE is a grassroots group of individuals who have come together to promote safe, sustainable energy and fight for environmental justice. We engage the greater public to stop the fossil fuel industry’s assault on the people of Albany and our environment.